From the mean stare of its front grill along the low-slung body all the way to its powerfully built hindquarters, the 2009 Audi A5 is a great looking midsize luxury car. The changes from last year are not major, but they are dynamic, taking the A5 from an "also ran" in terms of looks, to one of the sharpest looking cars on the road.

The A5 is fairly new for Audi. A coupe version of the A4, it arrived in the 2008 model year. As you might expect from a German luxury car, its primary competition comes from BMW 3-Series coupe and Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class.

The A5 comes with a single engine, a 3.2 liter, dual overhead cam V6 generating 265 horsepower. The engine can be matched with either a six-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual transmission. Mileage is rated a sixteen miles per gallon in the city and a nifty twenty-one miles per gallon on the highway. The A5 is all-wheel drive, only.

The closest thing to an NHTSA crash test rating for the A5 is a 2008 A4. With four-stars everywhere except a five-star driver's side impact rating, the figures weren't bad, but they were great, either. Much of that has to do with the class of car, of course. A5 does have all the expected safety features including four-wheel anti-lock brakes, two-stage front airbags, airbags all around, seat position detection and occupant classification, LATCH system, electronic stability and side impact sensors. There's even a first aid kit in the rear armrest.

There is only one trim level on the A5 (super nice!), but there are various option packages to choose from. Just some of the fancy gear includes a power sunroof with remote operation, leather upholstery, eight-way driver and passenger seats with power lumbar support, power remote door locks, power one-touch windows, heated power mirrors, leather wrapped steering wheel and gearshift knob, wood trim, interior charcoal air filter, six CD/MP3/satellite radio player with ten speakers and Bluetooth technology.

The A5 comfortably seats four adults, and the operative word is comfort. There are even rear-seat headrests.

Except for the less than thrilling crash test ratings, there is only one drawback to the A5, and it's the one you expect. Base price for the 2009 Audi A5 is $37,851. Jump that to $39,060 for an automatic transmission and you can see it's not a car for the masses. But it's not supposed to be. The truth is, the price is right in between its two primary competitors, and it's better looking than either of them.